


Pray For Us Sinners

by sansinukob



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BOTH, Catholic Prayers, Gen, Gender-Neutral Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Gender-Neutral Pronouns, How Do I Tag, I cried while writing this, No beta we die like lilith, Old Age, Religion, Sad with a Happy Ending, angst first because I thought it was pretty sad, from angst or cringe you may ask, now just cringe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:01:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29951727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansinukob/pseuds/sansinukob
Summary: Holy Mary, mother of GodPray for us sinnersNow and at the hour of our deathAmenHumans never lived long.
Relationships: Asmodeus & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Beelzebub & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Belphegor & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Leviathan & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Lucifer & Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character & Mammon (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!), Main Character & Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Pray For Us Sinners

_ Hail Mary, full of grace _

“A special guest will be dropping by the House of Lamentation later today,” Diavolo’s voice informed from Lucifer’s D.D.D. that was on loudspeaker on the dining table as per the Demon Prince’s request. “He requested that he meets all seven of you at once so please wait for him in the common area.”

“May we know who exactly this special guest is, Lord Diavolo?” Satan questioned, his chin resting in between his fingers.

“I’m sorry, Satan but he has requested that his identity be kept a secret until he meets with all of you. Well, that’s all I really wanted to say. You should be expecting him in the next hour or so. Goodbye.”

“I can’t really think of anyone who wants to visit us and keep their identity a secret,” Leviathan threw his head back on the couch as the brothers settled themselves into the common area to wait for the surprise guest.

“None of you have caused trouble for someone to head to the House of Lamentation themselves to settle a score, right?” Lucifer’s heavy glare and threatening undertones in his voice made Mammon huff in response.

“You address all of us but ya always choose to single me out somehow.”

They all talked idly about trivial matters. The restlessness from the secret identity of their visitor keeping them on edge yet it also kept them from exploding into chaos like they usually do if they all stay together in a room for more than ten minutes without supervision (Lucifer doesn’t really count since he often gets into the arguments as well). After what seemed like a century had passed, a series of knocks reverberated from the front doors. The eldest stood from his spot on the couch and the rest of the brothers followed him with their gazes until he disappeared behind the doorway. They stayed silent, listening to his steps as he approached the great wooden doors to figure out who this guest was before they stepped into the room. Surprise was all they felt when they heard the loud thump of bodies crashing on the floor after an excited yell of “Lucy!”.

Of all the beings that existed in all three worlds, Saint Michael the Archangel was definitely not in their top ten list of people they were expecting to see, but the sight of Lucifer under the enthusiastic tackle hug of God’s right-hand angel was a welcome sight.

“Michael!” Asmodeus wrapped the celestial being in a tight embrace once he and Lucifer got back to their feet. “What a surprise!”

“I brought something for all of you,” he cheered, raising his arms where eight paper bags hung. Two were filled with Celestial Realm sweets and pastries that he had made himself prior to the visit with once being especially just for Beel and the other for the others to share. The other six contained gifts for all the brothers with some of the items being some of their favorite things in the past and others which were more suited to their current tastes but Michael supposes they haven’t really changed all that much (although he could not say the same went for Satan). 

Lucifer quirked a brow at the guest he last expected to see in the Devildom after minutes of pleasantries, “Well then, Saint Michael, to what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Michael smiled kindly. “Why, to make sure a human’s prayers are getting answered of course!”

“Hold up.” Mammon frowned. “What do us demons have to do with some human’s prayers to the big man upstairs? We only grant desires if we get summoned and get their souls or first borns or whatever else they can offer in exchange. Ya know that, everybody knows that!”

“As much as I hate to agree with Mammon on anything, I too fail to see why and how we have any type of involvement with human prayers,” Belphegor droned, chucking another Celestial Realm sweet into his mouth from Beel’s stash.

“Well, I think it has everything to do with you if those prayers are for you, am I wrong?” Michael’s words caused all of the demons in the room to stare at him in shock.

Lucifer raised a brow, “What do you mean by that?” The angel’s smile faltered for a moment before cupping his hands and a ball of golden light manifested in the space above it.

“I know this is stupid.” A familiar voice echoed which led to hitches in breath and clenched jaws.

“MC?” Mammon whispered in disbelief.

“Yes,” Michael answered. “I can’t say they’ve been praying religiously throughout their life but in the sporadic occasions they do, well, just listen.”

“I know that this really is stupid for me to do.” Their voice was barely above a whisper and the chirping of crickets could be heard in the background. “To pray for demons to their Father who banished them long ago but I don’t know who else to turn to and, well, desperate people find faith.” The quiver in their voice etched cracks into the seven brothers' hearts but one of them hid it with a scoff.

_ The Lord is with you _

“I don’t want to hear this,” Belphegor hissed through clenched teeth, the sweetness of the confection now tasting overwhelmingly bitter at the memories their voice brought back. “I don’t want to listen to whatever that human wants to say when they’ve abandoned us years ago.”

Nobody could say the cold painful bitterness he felt towards the human they all still adored was entirely invalid. After all, MC just upped and went without a single word of farewell and vanished from their lives without a trace. At first, they still kept in contact through their D.D.D.s. They always replied to their messages as quickly as they could and all calls would be answered even if they were in the middle of doing something. They would also always find ways to go up to the Human World as often as possible just to meet up with MC. Then one day, they just stopped. Their messages would get left on read for hours on end until they didn’t even read their messages anymore. Missed calls would happen more frequently until the day came where Karasu’s voice informed them that the recipient’s D.D.D. was no longer available for contact. 

They went up to the Human World, of course. All of them did. When they found no evidence of the human’s existence in the home they lived in, they took the risk and asked their friends and family only to be met by a bunch of confused mortals who had no idea of the person they were looking for.

MC erased their whole existence just to run away from them.

Days after the first search in the Human World, the brothers felt their pacts with MC get severed. No amount of magic or spells gave them any results. All the witches and sorcerers and anyone else with even the smallest amount of magic failed to locate the human. Not even Solomon could point to a direction.

First was rage. All the brothers except for Satan and Mammon tore apart the room they once resided in in turns. The bed was ripped to shreds and the walls were covered in scratches. The brothers lost count of how many times Leviathan submerged the room in water to wash out the scent that haunted their every breath (he tried thirty-seven times and somehow, their smell still lingered). The few photos of them on RAD’s newspaper profile on Devilgram were ordered to be taken down by Lucifer and some of the brothers archived their posts that had them in it, never truly having the heart to delete them completely. It became an unspoken rule to never mention their name or anything related to them around the brothers. If they wanted to just disappear from all three worlds then they’d give them what they wanted even if their hearts mourned everyday and their minds wandered to daydreams where they were still there with them. Even if their skin tingled from the gentle affection of the phantoms and even if tears rolled down their cheeks in anguished moments of solitude, they’d pretend the human never existed in the first place.

Pretending was only effective in the dim brightness of the Devildom, but crumpled polaroids and sweet smelling stray pieces of clothing in their drawers that were too small to be any of theirs or were in none of their styles were their only comforts on nights where Demonus or blazing neon lights couldn’t drown everything else out.

That was decades ago. Humans never lived long, it was a harsh truth that rubbed itself into their faces when they could no longer ignore it.

“But I ask that you do,” Michael pleaded. Belphegor frowned and turned his head to look at the fireplace instead of the other people in the room. Taking this as a sign to continue, everyone else shifted their gazes back to the ball of light.

“It hurts,” the voice whimpered. Breaking slightly and the demons could picture the tears slowly forming in the human’s eyes in that moment. “It hurts so much to leave them even when I know this is the right thing to do. It hurts now and I know that it will hurt me for the rest of my mortal life but it’s a small price to pay if it means they’ll suffer in less time. God, I know that I have never prayed to you to give thanks and I don’t know if you’ll hear me but please- please let them be okay. God, let them be okay, that is all I will ask of you. I can die earlier than most humans, I can suffer any accident, I can die slowly and painfully by disease but please let my boys be okay.” 

Their voice was shaken by sobs at this point and the deep breaths to steady themself were much more frequent and heavier. “Please give Lucifer the patience to deal with his brothers. Please give Mammon the wisdom to think before getting into trouble. Please give Leviathan the pride to let him enjoy the things he does without shame. Please give Satan peace in the moments he feels overwhelmed with wrath. Please give Asmodeus a sense of security in knowing that he is loved. Please give Beelzebub moments of satisfaction and for Belphegor to have the strength to enjoy vibrant days. Please shine light on them to open their eyes and see that they all have each other and that they always will. I know that it’s too much to ask for grace for those who have fallen from it but, Lord, I am ready to suffer in exchange for the blessings that I beg of you for them.”

_ Blessed are you among women _

More prayers followed after that. All contained the same pleads that the demons that resided in the House of Lamentation stay well with other humorously thoughtful requests such as: that Lucifer gets enough sleep and doesn’t get new wrinkles every day, that Mammon gets the jackpot in whatever gambling game he was immersed in and he doesn’t find himself in crippling debt, that Leviathan wins his online games and that he enjoys the new anime seasons he’s been looking forward to, that Satan doesn’t get himself into magical hijinks with cursed books and that he gets to learn something new everyday, that Asmodeus keeps up with his self-care routine and that all his beauty products are working well for him, that Beelzebub doesn’t encounter food like Solomon’s and that his form is always correct when he works out to avoid hurting himself, and that Belphegor doesn’t fall asleep in uncomfortable positions and that he smiles more often. Their loving words broke down the walls the brothers built against them and washed away the anger and resentment that festered in their hearts yet they all remained silent listening to the prayers to their Father.

“I would ask that they somehow remember that I love them. That I always want the best for them and that I miss them more than anything but it’s better if they hate and forget me instead of missing a human who’ll disappear in a blink of their eyes, barely existing for a second in their everlasting life.”

“What’s the point of this?” Satan asked harshly, spitting out the words like venom. He already had an inkling as to why the human chose to disappear without leaving a single clue which is why he never harbored much resentment (it still hurt). “Their mission was to erase themself from our lives, wasn’t it? Because they knew that they wouldn’t live long compared to us and they selfishly decided on their own that having us watch them walk closer to death over the years would hurt us far longer than if they just left us without anything.”

Truth to be told, they all knew it in the back of their minds. Indeed, perhaps nobody could hate you more than somebody who used to love you, but they never stopped loving them. Not once. Never was the hatred and the anger raw and pure. They simply used such loathsome feelings to cover up the misery that ate at them slowly.

“Isn’t this simply undermining their efforts?” He continued with an increasing burning wrath. “Rendering a decision that hurt all of us because they believed it was the better choice, that it wouldn’t be as painful, useless. Because giving us closure defeats the purpose of making us feel mad at them.”

_ And blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus _

“I suppose it does defeat the purpose of their sacrifice,” Michael agreed. “However, I am not here to bring you closure. This is about their prayers, unfortunately, not your emotions.”

Lucifer sucked in a deep breath that almost sounded like a hiss, “Then get to the point instead of making us listen to more of… this.”

“Alright then,” Michael obliged and the ball of light glowed brightly once more.

Their voice was so soft, strained and barely above a whisper.

“ _ I want to see them, one last time. _ ”

They froze, yet they were unable to stop the quick beating of their hearts at the prayer.

They gazed upon a simple house. Plants and flowers adorning the humble abode with life yet the demons could already sense the faint looming heaviness of death. The curtain shifted and they caught a glimpse of a young man behind the glass. They approached the front door and it opened for them before Lucifer could even knock.

“Hello, are you grandy MC’s friends?” he asked them.

They were unsure of how to answer. Were they still friends? Were they all  _ just  _ friends?

_ Holy Mary, mother of God _

“I guess you say that,” Satan answered vaguely.

“Ah,” he took a moment to look at them before snapping his fingers as if he realized something. “I knew you guys looked familiar, they have photos of you around the house. Acquaintances from the Sorcerer’s Society, right? Come right in, I… I’m not sure how long they have left so you guys are pretty lucky to see them before they go.”

The interior was as simple and as cozy it could be. The light from outside brightened the room. It wasn’t bare, but the lack of decorations was noticeable. 

“My name is Henry, by the way. I’m MC’s grandson.”

“Grandson?!” Mammon exclaimed, bewildered. 

“If I may ask, who was MC’s partner? It has been a while since we’ve seen or talked to them and we can’t say we’ve been… keeping in touch with them.”

“Ah, I see. They never told me but Solomon has informed me that they cut ties with a lot of people after their voluntary exile. I’m assuming you guys are some of those people?”

“Yes.”

“Well, grandy never really married and they adopted my mom when they found her as an infant alone. Please make yourself at home and feel free to look around. Grandy asked me to not bother them for the next hour or so, they had me look around for this old phone, I’m surprised it was still working.”

“Did it have a crow logo on the back, by any chance?” inquired Belphegor.

“Yeah, actually. They said something about finally looking through some stuff so I shouldn’t bother them for a while.”

“You mentioned Solomon. Has he been keeping in touch with MC all these years?”

“Well, from what he told me, they didn’t really have much choice. You see, my mom turned out to be a sorcerer, she met my dad in the Sorcerer’s Society so I was born with magic too. There was only so much grandy could teach mom so they had to send her to Solomon to learn how to control her powers more.”

“I see.”

“They have the complete TSL series.” Leviathan reached out to stroke the spines on the bookshelf.

“Yeah, they loved that series so much they always cried reading or watching it. Mom ended up loving the series so much as well that she named me after the protagonist and I ended up growing fond of the series too” 

“These are books I gave them so long ago,” Satan gasped, taking out a book and steadying his shaking fingers when he found neon papers filled with his words through the pages.

Asmodeus walked towards a drawer with numerous photo frames laid on the wood and where printed photos covered the space above it. There were many photos of MC with their child and Henry throughout the years. He knew their decision was so he and his brothers couldn’t, but he wished he was there by their side and watched them grow old.

“This was when Luke accidentally put the wrong syrup in the cake and we all turned into animals.” Mammon pointed to a candid photo of all seven of them with their tails and ears in the common area.

“This was during the Summer festival.” Beel gestured to one that showed all eight of them having fun forming animal shapes with melted sugar in their candy apple booth.

“Look! This was when we all had to dress up as Dames for the first time during Queen Rose’s visit.”

“MC managed to keep Lucifer’s Dame photo!”

“Maaaammooooon?!”

“I put it back! I put it back!”

They continued to point to the captured moments of time, talking about what happened in those photos and laughing at the shenanigans they got themselves into. Henry left them to reminisce in favor of preparing them refreshments.

“This is the rose I gifted them during our first Christmas with them,” Lucifer softly murmured as he gazed at the pressed flower preserved in a frame.

Belphegor pulled open a drawer to satiate his curiosity and his eyes softened at the mess of mementos stashed in it. He took hold of a movie ticket stub he remembered seeing with them when they first arrived in the Human World.

“This was when they went with me to Sucre Frenzy’s concert.”

“This receipt was when we went to AkuDonald’s together after I won a Fangol game.”

“These are Majolish magazines with Asmo and I in them.”

Lucifer opened another drawer. “These are the rings and gifts from when we proposed to them for the Wedding magazine.”

Beelzebub’s D.D.D. pinged.

“Oh, I got a notification,” he told them. The widening of his eyes did not go unnoticed not only by his twin but by his brothers as well.

“Beel, what’s wrong?”

“MC just liked one of my old posts from Devilgram. It’s not there now though.”

“Didn’t Henry say they were looking at their D.D.D.?”

“Well, yeah, if that’s what that phone is called.” Henry strolled out from the kitchen with two trays balanced on his arms. “They said they were going to go through stuff so I assume they’re looking at stuff they missed after their exile. Probably voicemails or text messages or old posts much like yours that they might have accidentally liked as they scrolled through. Help yourselves to some tea and snacks, I’ll check up on them. Hopefully, they’d be able to see you soon.”

“I’m not sure if I’m ready for this,” Asmo confessed after they took their seats. “Isn’t it too cruel that we’re only seeing them now after so long, on their deathbed?”

“I’m afraid, to be honest.” Satan took in a deep, shaky breath, “I always knew that… that forever with them was improbable. I thought their decision was a good one no matter how much it stung and I respected it, but I’m selfish. I want to ruin their hard work and sacrifice just to see them once more during when they least want us to.”

“I never cared,” Mammon asserted. “If it means I’ll get to see and hold my human, no matter what they look like or what they’re going through, then I’d do anything. Anything for them.”

“They accepted me for who I was wholeheartedly,” Levi’s eyes stayed glued on the photo covered wall. “I want to let them know that I’d accept them too, no matter what. Henry and the Lord of Shadows always stayed together.”

Beelz simply stared at the tray of snacks, not having the appetite to eat anything. “MC never left me no matter what state I was in. I don’t want them to be alone after so many years of recluse.”

“I had so much hate and anger in my heart and I made so many mistakes I can never take back.” Belphie hugged his pillow closer. “They helped me let go of so much baggage and I have never felt so free since then. Nothing I do will be able to make up for my mistakes, so I’ll spend all the time we have left together making sure they know I could never hate them and that I’m so grateful.”

“They were the cause of so many headaches.” Lucifer’s fist tightened. “But never have I felt such bliss because of them. It was because of them we’ve grown closer and stronger as a family. So, let’s make sure they feel loved in these moments.”

Henry stumbled into the living room with teary eyes.

“Grandy… grandy doesn’t have much time left. I know I called you guys acquaintances from the society but, you’re the Demon Lords of the Devildom, right? To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I should let you guys in, you’re the reason for their exile, after all. But, but I think all of you should be together in these last moments. I don’t know how, but Solomon somehow brought their candle from the Reaper’s cave to them and there's so little left,” Henry’s voice faded into a strained whisper at the last words.

“The candle...” Beelzebub trailed off.

_ Pray for us sinners _

Henry looked at them with teary eyes and squeezed them shut, “Go.”

MC sat upright, staring out the window next to their bed to gaze at the view. The bright sunlight bathed them, making the white sheets glow and their silver hair like starlight. They held their D.D.D. in hand, listening to a voicemail from decades ago.

“The bottomline here is, please contact us as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, we miss ya! Not like I’m worried for you specifically but these guys are getting annoying.”

“LMAO! Mammon can’t even convincingly lie over the phone. Lame.”

“Shut up! As if ya weren’t crying to Henry 2.0 when they weren’t online to play games with you.”

“Please contact us to let us know you’re safe. I have so many books you need to read.”

“Darling, I love you, but worry is not a super cute look on me. Please let us know you’re safe, okay?”

“I’m scared, MC. I’ve been stuck between eating less and eating so much more every time I think about you so please let us know if you’re okay. I don’t want to lose you too.”

“I have been having trouble sleeping. When I manage to, I keep having nightmares of losing you. Please come back to us. We miss you.”

They remembered that call. It was the first and last time they made a call to them together when they all realized MC stopped keeping in touch with all of them.

“You guys shouldn’t be here,” they said without removing their gaze from the window.

“The candle,” Mammon murmured just loud enough for his brothers to cast their gaze on the flickering flame on a pool of melted wax in a dainty silver candle holder on the nightstand.

“You should go.”

“MC, we aren’t going anywhere,” Lucifer firmly declared and the brothers took further steps into the room.

“MC, please look at us,” Mammon pleaded, taking their hand and almost bursting into tears when he made contact with them. They were there and it was all that mattered. He didn’t care if the hand was wrinkled or if it felt cold to the touch. It was still the same soft and warm hand that held him when he needed something to hold onto.

Asmo reached out for their cheek to gently turn their head towards them. “Darling, please, let us see that beautiful face.”

MC laughed bitterly, “The man who complains about invisible wrinkles calling mine covered in them beautiful?”

“Wrinkles or not, you’re still the cutest person after me to ever exist.”

“You guys shouldn’t be here. You shouldn’t even know I’m still alive.”

“And why is that?”

The first tear dropped. “I didn’t want to see you guys hurt.”

“Don’t you think we’ve been hurt enough these past decades?” Satan gently asked, wiping the tear away.

“You’re supposed to hate me and be mad at me and just forget I ever existed.” 

“MC, do you honestly think we could ever hate you?” Levi frowned with teary eyes. “The Lord of Shadows and the other six never hated Henry, right?”

A pained smile made its way on their face. “I suppose not.”

“Maybe if I rush to the Reaper’s cave, I could still make it,” Beel said out loud almost desperately. “I can pour my own candle into yours like you did for me before. Maybe-”

“No, Beel, it’s too late. This is my fate.”

“It’s unfair,” Belphegor whined, wrapping his arms around MC and burying his face in their shoulder. “This isn’t fair.”

“It is what it is, Belphie. I’m human, we don’t live for long.”

“Then, MC, may we have the honor of spending the last seconds of eternity with you?”

“Well,” they grinned. “The plan was not to, but I guess nothing goes as planned when you guys are involved, huh?”

“I suppose so.” 

They chuckled before letting their gaze flit to each brother. “I missed you all so much.”

“We missed you too.”

“I-I’m glad you’re here. I’m so happy I could see you all one last time.”

Satan hushed them, “Do not speak of the end that is to come. Let us pretend we have all of eternity until then.”

The candle flickered.

He came closer and wrapped his arms around MC who leaned against his shoulder and gazed lovingly at the rest.

“I’m glad I met you guys. I wouldn’t trade life with you for anything else.”

It was so faint.

They closed their eyes

_ Now and at the hour of our death _

Millennia of living, but that was the first time they noticed how the smoky scent of a burnt wick grows stronger when the flame goes out.

_ The meeting will start soon, I expect to see all of you in the Student Council room before it starts. _

“Simeon, Luke! What a pleasant surprise!” Asmodeus cheered as he, Mammon, and Satan entered the room.

“Been a while since I’ve seen ya, ain’t it?” Mammon grinned as he ruffled Luke’s hair, noting that the young angel now resembled a teenager instead of an adolescent. “You’ve grown a bit, not a little chihuahua anymore, huh?”

“I was never a chihuahua to begin with!” he huffed. “And stop ruffling my hair!”

“Hope we’re not late,” Beelzebub’s voice was muffled by the cheeseburger he was devouring and behind him were Leviathan and Belphegor.

“We were just about to start,” Diavolo smiled. “Please, everyone, take a seat.”

“Will Barbatos not be joining us today?” Lucifer asked, noting the demon’s absence from his usual place.

“Unfortunately no, he is busy handling the subject of our meeting today.”

“Which is?”

“As you all know, it has been a long dream of mine for all three realms to be able to coexist peacefully. The student exchange program we hosted decades ago was one of our successful first steps towards this goal and we have formed valuable relations during and after the program. As we all know, Solomon is the human representative to the Devildom and his fellow witches that reside in our lands are his aides. We have our own representatives residing in the Human World and Celestial Realm as well. As we all know, Simeon and Luke here serve as Celestial Realm representatives but are unable to reside for long periods of time and can only drop by every now and then.”

“Am I right to assume then that a Celestial Realm representative aide has been chosen to reside in the Devildom?” Satan inquired.

“Yes, you are.” Simeon nodded with a smile. 

“Though it is worth mentioning that although it is true that they did recently come from the Celestial Realm, they are not an angel and I would say that they have stronger ties with the Human World. Solomon is a dear friend of theirs.”

“They’re more of a connection between the three realms, rather than just a Celestial Representative,” Luke spoke up for the first time in that meeting. “Which is why they weren’t given an official title of Celestial Realm representative aide. Instead, they’re officially known as Foreign Advisor to the Devildom”

“Are they staying in Purgatory Hall?” asked Belphegor.

“Oh no, it would be too lonely to live alone in Purgatory Hall, wouldn’t you say so?” 

Leviathan furrowed his brows, “The Demon Lord’s Castle, then?” 

“Well, it was considered but we decided that it would not be a suitable place for them,” Simeon answered.

“So they will be staying in the House of Lamentation,” Diavolo finally clarified. “I’m sure you do not have any qualms about having them stay in the extra room you have?”

Their breaths hitched. They had only recently fixed up MC’s old room but the pain was still fresh to them. To suddenly have a complete stranger, who was only there for diplomatic reasons, be assigned in that room was like rubbing salt in the wound and a slap to the face.

Lucifer let out a heavy sigh, “And you said the reason for Barbatos’ absence for this meeting was because he’s attending to the matter, yes? I assume he’s helping them move into the… extra room we have in the House of Lamentation?”

“Yes, they should be fully settled in by the time the meeting is adjourned.”

“I see,” Belphegor forced out through gritted teeth. “Thank you for at least giving us a heads up, Lord Diavolo.”

“Indeed,” Satan chimed yet he shot a cautionary look at Belphegor for his sarcastic passive-aggressiveness. “Is this truly your final decision, Lord Diavolo? I’m afraid we’re not quite in the state to warmly welcome a guest.”

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll all do well,” Simeon smiled. 

“Nah, seriously, what was Lord Diavolo thinkin’?” Mammon exclaimed as they all made their way towards their home. 

“I understand everyone’s displeasure towards the situation. However, I forbid anyone from doing anything that may inconvenience our guest. I’ll see what I can do in regards to their housing.”

“Perhaps Beel could go on a rampage again,” Belphegor wistfully suggested. “Destroy the kitchen wall connected to MC’s room and force this Foreign Advisor to stay in the Demon Lord’s castle or in Purgatory Hall and make sure that scared them enough to not want to stay.”

“It’s a good plan but it wouldn’t be wise for us to do that,” Satan argued with a shake of his head. “They have ties with the Human World and the Celestial Realm, bringing them harm or delivering any sort of threat would be catastrophic for the Devildom.”

“Well, they better not expect some special treatment,” Leviathan huffed.

The sweet smell of food welcomed them as the great wooden doors of the House of Lamentation opened to greet its masters. The sounds of pans and shuffling came from the kitchen so the brothers gravitated to the area to greet their guest.

“Welcome back,” Barbatos greeted, emerging from the kitchen to meet them in the hallway. “I hope you don’t mind me using your kitchen. Your guest insisted that they prepare some snacks for the seven of you as thanks for letting them reside in your home.”

“Well, it’s not like we had a choice on that, did we?” Asmodeus lightly chuckled.

“It’s nice of them to make us food, though,” Beel commented.

“I think it’s time for us to formally greet them.”

“Before you do,” Barbatos whispered, “I advise that you make no sudden remarks or act odd. It might take some amount of restraint but it is the best advice I could give you.”

Raised and furrowed brows were their only reply before Lucifer nodded. “Alright, then.”

Barbatos entered the kitchen first and the brothers followed suit.

“MC, these are the masters of this house and your housemates starting from today.” The human raised their head from the mixing bowl and smiled at the shell-shocked demons.

“Hello, my name is MC,” they gave them a polite bow, “I am grateful for your generosity and I hope that we could all get along in the centuries to come.”

_ What kind of sick twist of fate is this? _

“MC, this is Lucifer,” Barbatos gestured to the raven-haired man after none of them spoke up. “Avatar of Pride and one of the Lords of Hell. He is the eldest of the brothers and considered to be the head of the household. He is also one of Lord Diavolo’s most trusted men, if there is anything you need, you may speak to him about it.”

“It is an honor to meet you, Sir Lucifer. I have heard many great things about you.”

“Lucifer is just fine, please. There is no need for formalities with me or my brothers,” he finally forced out. “It’s a pleasure to have you in our abode, MC.”

“I apologize if this question may sound rude, but I am simply curious. Is it Devildom custom to have somebody else introduce you to someone you’ve never met?”

“No, it’s not,” Mammon exclaimed. “I-I’m Mammon, the  _ Great  _ Mammon. Avatar of Greed and one of the Rulers of Hell.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Mammon.”

“I am Leviathan, Avatar of Envy and Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy.”

“Impressive, Leviathan. I hope we can become good friends.”

“My name is Satan, I am the Avatar of Wrath. It’s a pleasure to meet you, MC.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Asmodeus stepped forward and kissed their hand. “Asmodeus, darling.” He winked. “Avatar of Lust and the most beautiful being in all three realms.”

“Quite the charmer, aren’t you?” they laughed.

“These cookies are delicious. I’m Beelzebub, Avatar of Gluttony.”

“Thank you, Beelzebub! Barbatos helped me ensure that there would be enough for everyone.”

“I’m Belphegor, Avatar of Sloth, but you can call me Belphie.”

They smiled. “Okay, Belphie.”

“I have not taken them around the house yet, actually. Lord Diavolo won’t be needing my services soon so it would be a wise use of everyone’s time if you gave them a tour of the house. I will remain here to finish the rest of the treats. I will leave them in the dining area should I finish and take my leave before you return.

“Thank you, Barbatos. That’s very sweet of you.” They smiled. 

“This is the common area, we gather here often and spend time together. Sometimes we play games together as well.”

“It looks wonderfully cozy, I can see you guys spending a lot of time here.”

“This is the library, I spend most of my time here reading.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I join you sometime.”

“This is the music room.”

“Ah, it looks like the perfect place to watch movies.”

“This is the planetarium, it’s a nice place to just gaze at the night sky.”

“It’s pretty in here.”

“That staircase leads to the attic.”

“Oh, am I not allowed up there?”

They froze at the seemingly innocent question.

“It’s just one of my nap locations, you’re welcome any time,” Belphegor assured them.

“What made you think you weren’t allowed up the attic?” Lucifer questioned.

“Well, attics and basements are usually the homeowner’s private spaces. I do not want to be rude and enter places I am not supposed to.”

“As if that has stopped you before,” Lucifer muttered.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, it looks like Barbatos has already left,” Asmodeus noted as the group walked back into the dining area to see the snacks laid out on the table with a couple of steaming teapots alongside it.

“Then let us enjoy the sweets he left us with.” MC took a seat and looked up. “Sorry, you guys don’t mind if I sat here, right?”

The expressions on their faces were soft. MC may have forgotten everything but the soul still seems to remember. Still, they tried their best to jog any memories in the various locations in the house during the tour. Sure, some of their remarks made them exchange glances but they seemed as clueless as they were the first time Mammon took them around. 

“No, you can stay in that seat. Nobody sat there anyway.”

“I see.” They took one of the treats on the table, a hellfire mushroom cigarette cookie as the demons took their seats in tense silence. “It’s been a while since I’ve had any of Barbatos’ cooking.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Nice to know you guys kept this seat open for me all these years too, really appreciate it.”

“EXCUSE ME?”

“Also,” they grinned at the demon brothers who had various expressions of sheer bewilderment on their faces, “I missed you all so much.”

“MC, you li’l-!” Mammon didn’t finish his sentence before he tackled them in a hug. “You scared me!”

“What the hell was that for? This totally is like  _ I Hid For A Long Time And Pretended To Have Amnesia When I Came Back To See How My Friends Would Treat Me If I Didn’t Know Them _ !” Leviathan exclaimed before throwing himself into the hug as well and was followed by his other brothers.

“Darling, even a few minutes of stress is not good for my skin, you owe me a whole lifetime of self-care.”

“This feels like something out of a book, why would you do this?”

“I almost didn’t feel like eating what you and Barbatos prepared.”

“I already made plans to show you memories in your dreams.”

“I do not appreciate this prank.” MC rolled their eyes at the eldest’s words, noticing the upward curve of his lips and the shine in his eyes that matched those of his brothers.

“I’m finally home, and I’m never going away again. I promise.”

_ Amen _

**Author's Note:**

> hope you guys enjoyed it! if you liked that and/or any of my other works and want to support me, take a look at my tumblr (lamentingintheuniverse.tumblr.com) and I invite you to please take a look at my pinned post! (fr we can't really promote cmmssns on ao3 and im currently accepting them for a fndraising so take a look at my pinned post on tumblr for more details thanks💞)


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